Ray Ramirez
NS Nation Name: Great Franconia and Verana Character Name: Raymond Carlos "Ray" Ramirez Character Gender: Male Character Age: 42 Character Role: Governor of California Appearance: (Image) Character State of Origin: Born in Arizona, lives currently in California Character Affiliation: Democratic Main Strengths: Young and energetic, a fiery speaker and excellent retail politician. A strong political strategist and A keen debater, a happy warrior in the realm of politics. He has a particular focus on the environment and the working class, though he has spoken much on immigration as well. He has a young wife and children who paint a pretty picture, and is himself considered handsome. Main Weaknesses: Can be seen as young and fresh, some consider him opportunistic and all flash no policy. Short Bio: Born to Mexican immigrants in Arizona, June 15th 2974, Ray Ramirez was originally from Pheonix, but the strangling poverty his parents found themselves forced his family to move to Los Angeles. His mother received a job at a local convenience store, while his father worked as a gardener. Ray was a good student in school, and got a job early, working and saving his money for college. He was eventually accepted into Stanford, graduating with honours. His father was killed during this period in a gang shoot out, where he was caught in the crossfire. Ray was deeply affected by this, and, after graduating law school, became a well known attorney, prosecuting several high profile criminals. Ray married his wife, Vicktoria Rutherford, in 1999, and they have two young children, Ella (b. 2002) and David (b. 2006). In 2000, Ray won the nomination for the 26th Congressional District for the Democratic Party. He proved to be a popular and high profile latino candidate, and won in a landslide. He was a common guest on several cable news channels and talk shows, and became known for his soaring rhetoric and searing debate style. He was defeated in 2006 however, by his Republican challenger, who motivated the wealthier and more affluent areas of the District to vote against Ramirez. Still a high profile Democrat, Ramirez endorsed Barack Obama for President, and continued his support throughout the campaign, adopting Obama's liberal ideology. Ramirez ran for the Democratic Gubernatorial nomination in California in 2010, and won a hard fought primary against former Governor Jerry Brown. Ramirez defeated GOP challenger Meg Whitman in the subsequent General Election, and at the age of 36, became one of the youngest Governors in the country. He soon proved electrifying among the younger and minority voters, and under his leadership, California balanced its budget and instituted a radical energy plan known as the Green Shift. The Green Shift was an increase on industrial taxes tied to pollution and the use of carbon, while taking the extra revenue as a pillow to cut taxes for lower and middle class families. Ramirez also is an ardent supporter of LGBTQ rights and has marched in several pride parades. He is pro-choice, despite his Roman Catholic faith, and is a known internationalist. His economic plan and environmental policies were big targets for the GOP in the 2014 elections, however, Ramirez' mobilization of the middle and minority classes, along with his superior campaign, lead him to a narrow victory of GOP challenger Neel Kashkari. He has since vowed to continue his policies. While there were whispers he would run for the 2016 Democratic Nomination for President, he decided against it, and chose only to endorse another candidate. Other Info: Get ready for some barn burners people, my second character is the polar opposite of my first. Also, looking forward to the California Primary with this guy!